The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-03
SALTlNG A MINE.
An Interesting story Told I'm New
York by n Californian.

remarked u veteran member OF the
California colony to number Of fellow
associates who were killing the dog
DAYS in Z. New York Office the other
day, ii had funny one. 1t makes
me laugh when think of it now. In
The good old Comstock days. l was in
Virginia, New. employed in mn official
capacity in one of the big mines
Which was itP Well. never mind, it
wasn't long ways from where the big
bonanza was aiterward found. Like
everybody else employed in the Com
stock. l gambled in shares. held
stock in s.. and they had gone back on
me seriously. ! thought If could get
even / would sell out and swear off,
The superintendent and I were on
friendly terms, and il there had been a
point l knew he would give it to me.
But. outside of sinking a Wine from
the l, 200 to the 1900. about completed,
which was on low-grade ore, there was
nothing to hang point on. Just about
that time very lucky operator, who
thought he knew Il mine when nc saw
it, came up to Virginia to see what
was new in the mines. He dropped in
to an Office and had n chat with the
boss. After that he expressed desire
to sec the new winze. BY the way, he
was trustee and had the entrce OF the
mine. The foreman happened to be
away. and the superintendent had bust
ness up town, so / was delegated TO
show the big operator down the wnze.
A thought struck me. If this big opera
tor was favorably impressed, he could
make deal OF the stock. A hatful of
nrc had frequently caused spurts in the
.cading Comstocks, rs you know, and
this very operator had n big following.
My mind was made up. / must
get even on those shares,
or there wouldn't be any meat
in the house. The operator had
about dozen small canvas sacks to
hold samples. which he carefully took
all the way down the winze remarking
rs he did so that the ore was kin dly
looking. 1t was hot work, us you can
imagine, and when we landed ON top
The big man was all in glow of per-
spiration. Here, said he, handing me
the samples, take care of these for me
while take u bath In the Office
were any quantity OF fine specimens
Of sulplurcts and other kinds of ores
iaken from spots in the mine. 1t
didn't take me long to salt the SAM
Piles. and away went the big operator
TO have them assayed for curiosity
Then watched the market, and sure
enough the stock felt a certain upward
pressure. aud soon after it was rumor-
ed around that nv big operator was
buying; that helped the upward move
ment. For once / didn't change my
mind-I gave my brokers orders to
sell when she touched cost price plus
assessment. Within ten days from
The samping process l was out. What
lid the stock do thenp That's where
Inc fun comes in. 1t kept going up,
and inside of two weeks was selling for
double what l sold mine Mt. and
when the deal eliminated the big
operator was $780, 900 ahead. So that
salt dn't hurt him any, and didn't
hurt me. He aftcrward turned that
800, 600 into more than $1,000 900 BY
other fortunate speculations, and is
alive and well and as happy as a man
Of his disposition can be. Did he ever
suspect tho salt'P No; don't believe
he did He believed in his assays and
thought probably that the ins ders
were trying to keep him in the dark.
He comes to New York occasionally
and we have II drink together. Oh
course he has forgotten that little cpl
sode, and naturally l don't remind
him of it. That was my first and last
salt experience. and it was done just
on the spur of the moment, and be-
cause well, nobody liked that opera
tor, anyhow. and almost anyone on the
Comslock woul'l have ked to put
such a Job on him. And to think that
he made big money on IL! Tell you
gentlemen. honesty is the best policy.
w II you srnlep" They all smiled.